Hmmmmm...what do you think????

gidget1978

gidget1978

Cathlete
Just throw in your 2 cents...no one really knows what is going to happen here.

I've been on Mat leave for the past 10 monthes and in 2 monthes it is time for me to go back to work. I called my boss the other day to tell him that I was comming back. When he hired me 3 of his girls were on Mat leave but 2 of them are part timers. So yesterday he calls and ask if I can come up to see him tomorrow. Why the meeting? He can't lay me off b/c I am a full time employee, regardless of the fact that I was the last one hired....but he does say "I can't stop you from comming back, your job is here but I am going to have staffing issues" Could he possibly be going to offer me a package? Or when he hired me he could only promise me 13 shifts a month but as soon as I started I was working 15 shifts...prehaps he is going to bump me back to 13 shifts?
I just started thinking about it and Im wondering if he isn't going to try to offer me something so that he doesn't have to deal with laying a couple of the girls off?
Any guesses? I know no one knows...but what do you think of his statement? Prehaps he thinks that if he offers me money, I just won't come back and then the whole labor law won't get brought into the picture.

Lori:)
 
Lori - first of all, what state are you in? If you are on FMLA, your employer is only obligated by law to grant you 12 weeks of unpaid, job protected leave. Anything more than that (in most states) is a privilege that the employer granted to you. As far as the PT girls, I am presuming that when they went on FMLA, they had worked at least one year and averaged about 25 hours per week of employment (?).
I wouldn't jump to any conclusions yet, but legally he could do anything he wanted to at this point - unless you are under an employment contract. If not, most states are also "employment at will" states which means either you or the employer can end the employment relationship at any given time for any (reasonable) reason, with or without notice. I wouldn't worry about it yet or even think about the possibility of a severance right now. Again, it is possible, but why worry until you know for sure? If he pulls anything stupid, let me know; I can provide more legal info - you can email me at home if you'd like: [email protected]

Clarissa :)
 
Not from the US. We get 12 monthes Mat leave in Canada. By law, my job is suppose to be there when I am ready to return. He cannont keep parttimers and law off a full time worker. If he took that route (which obviously he isn't b/c he said my job is there) all I would have to do is go to the labor board and he would get into a lot of T-R-O-U-B-L-E. Thanks for the info though.....it would be handy if I were a US Citizen.

Lori:)
 
Oh I didn't realize you weren't from the US! Still try not to worry about it yet! Good luck and let us know what he says!
Clarissa
 
I think you shouldn't worry until you actually have something to worry about. Perhaps he just wants to discuss your schedule or some changes the company has undertaken in the time of your absence. See how this plays out before getting yourself unneccessarily stressed. Being a mom is hard enough!

Best wishes,
 
I hope it all works out for you Lori. I have to say I am very jealous of your maternity leave! I've been looking into it at my own job (no, not pregnant yet) and we only get 3 measly months. I think that is pretty standard in the US. Ugh...
 
Liann - I think three months is actually generous in the US, which is absolutely ridiculous. I think you guys have the worst maternity benefits of any country in the world!
 
Yes, 3 months in the US is very generous, and many companies won't pay you a dime during that time. I consider myself "fortunate" to work for a company that pays short-term disability during the 12 weeks (80% of base salary). People who work for small companies (less than 50 employees) aren't even protected by FMLA and are not guaranteed a job at all if they want to return from maternity leave. Ugh. Don't get me started on this... it's just ridiculous.
 
First of all, I'm moving to Canada. WOW -- 12 months!! That's highly evolved and WONDERFUL. I remember having to go back to work after 3 months with my first son, and I thought I was lucky that I got to stay home that long -- though I only had a portion of that as paid leave (whatever vacation time I had saved up). I'm totally in awe of 12 months. Anyway, I know that you're worried about your meeting, but I agree that you shouldn't jump to conclusions. I hope that things go well. Keep us posted!
 
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